Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an inventive trumpet and cornet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. With his instantly-recognizable gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also skilled at scat singing (vocalizing using sounds and syllables instead of actual lyrics).
Renowned for his charismatic stage presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpet-playing, Armstrong's influence extends well beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the 1960s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on popular music in general. Armstrong was one of the first truly popular African-American entertainers to "cross over", whose skin-color was secondary to his music in an America that was severely racially divided. He rarely publicly politicized his race, often to the dismay of fellow African-Americans, but took a well-publicized stand for desegregation during the Little Rock Crisis. His artistry and personality allowed him socially acceptable access to the upper echelons of American society that were highly restricted for a black man.
Armstrong was born and brought up in New Orleans, a culturally diverse town with a unique musical mix of creole, ragtime, marching bands, and blues. Although from an early age he was able to play music professionally, he didn't travel far from New Orleans until 1922, when he went to Chicago to join his mentor, King Oliver. Oliver's band played primitive jazz, a hotter style of ragtime, with looser rhythms and more improvisation, and Armstrong's role was mostly backing. Slow to promote himself, he was eventually persuaded by his wife Lil Hardin to leave Oliver, and In 1924 he went to New York to join the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. At the time, there were a few other artists using the rhythmic innovations of the New Orleans style, but none did it with the energy and brilliance of Armstrong, and he quickly became a sensation among New York musicians. Back in Chicago in 1925, he made his first recordings with his own group, Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, and these became not only popular hits but also models for the first generation of jazz musicians, trumpeters or otherwise.
Other hits followed through the twenties and thirties, as well as troubles: crooked managers, lip injuries, mob entanglements, failed big-band ventures. As jazz styles changed, though, musical purists never lost any respect for him -- although they were sometimes irritated by his hammy onstage persona. Around the late forties, with the help of a good manager, Armstrong's business affairs finally stablilized, and he began to be seen as an elder statesman of American popular entertainment, appearing in Hollywood films, touring Asia and Europe, and dislodging The Beatles from the number-one position with Hello Dolly". Today many people may know him as a singer (a good one), but as Miles Davis said: “You can’t play nothing on modern trumpet that doesn’t come from him."
The 62-year-old Armstrong became the oldest act to top the US charts when "Hello Dolly" reached #1 in 1964. Four years later Satchmo also became the oldest artist to record a UK #1, when "What a Wonderful World" hit the top spot.
Zat You Santa Claus?
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gifts I'm preparing for some Christmas sharing
But I pause because
Hanging my stocking I can hear a knocking
Is that you, Santa Claus?
Sure is dark out, ain't the slightest spark out
'Pon my clackin' jaw
Who's there, who is it stopping for a visit?
Are you bringing a present for me
Something pleasantly pleasant for me?
Then it's just what I've been waiting for
Would you mind slipping it under the door?
Cold winds are howling, or could that be growling?
My legs feel like straws
My-my, oh me-my, kindly will you reply?
Is that you, Santa Claus?
Yes, hanging the stocking, I can hear a knocking
Is that you, Santa Claus?
I say, who's there, who is it, are you stopping for a visit?
Is that you, Santa Claus?
Oh there, Santa, you gave me a scare
Now stop teasing 'cause I know you're there
We don't believe in no goblins today
But I can't explain why I'm shaking that way
Bet I can see ole Santa in the keyhole
I'll get to the cause
One peek and I'll try there, oh oh, there's an eye there
Is that you, Santa Claus?
Please, please, pity my knees
Say that's you, Santa Claus, that's him all right
In Louis Armstrong's song 'Zat You Santa Claus?', the singer is preparing for Christmas by hanging up a stocking and getting gifts ready to share, but then hears a knocking at the door. The singer wonders if it's Santa Claus himself, asking if he's there to bring a present that will be "pleasantly pleasant" to receive. The singer is cold and frightened by the noises around them, wondering if the wind is howling or if there's growling happening outside. Ultimately, the singer is hoping for Santa Claus to reassure them that it's indeed him at the door, bringing gifts for a Merry Christmas.
While the song is light and humorous, it also reflects the excitement and anticipation that many people feel around Christmas time. It's a time for giving and receiving gifts, but it's also a time to be with loved ones and experience the joy and magic of the holiday.
The upbeat tempo and playful lyrics make 'Zat You Santa Claus?' a holiday classic that is widely enjoyed today. It has been covered by numerous artists over the years, including a rendition by Harry Connick Jr. that reached #15 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in 1993.
Line by Line Meaning
Is that you, Santa Claus?
I am wondering if you, Santa Claus, are the one knocking at my door.
Gifts I'm preparing for some Christmas sharing
I am getting ready to give out presents to celebrate Christmas with others.
But I pause because
I stop because I hear a noise at my door.
Hanging my stocking I can hear a knocking
As I hang my Christmas stocking, I hear someone knocking at my door.
Sure is dark out, ain't the slightest spark out
It is very dark outside, and there is no light to be seen.
'Pon my clackin' jaw
My teeth are chattering due to the cold.
Who's there, who is it stopping for a visit?
I am asking who is knocking on my door and if they are here to see me.
Are you bringing a present for me
I am asking Santa Claus if he is bringing me a gift.
Something pleasantly pleasant for me?
I am hoping for a present that will make me happy and joyful.
Then it's just what I've been waiting for
If Santa Claus is bringing me the present I am hoping for, then it is exactly what I have been waiting for.
Would you mind slipping it under the door?
I am asking Santa Claus to leave the present outside of my door.
Cold winds are howling, or could that be growling?
I am wondering if the sound I am hearing is the cold wind blowing or if it is an animal growling.
My legs feel like straws
My legs are trembling, and they feel weak and fragile.
My-my, oh me-my, kindly will you reply?
I am asking Santa Claus to respond to me.
Oh there, Santa, you gave me a scare
I am startled by the knocking, and I think it is Santa Claus playing a prank on me.
Now stop teasing 'cause I know you're there
I am telling Santa Claus to stop joking around because I can hear him knocking.
We don't believe in no goblins today
We do not believe in mythical creatures like goblins.
But I can't explain why I'm shaking that way
I cannot explain why I am trembling like this, even though I know there are no goblins around.
Bet I can see ole Santa in the keyhole
I think I can see Santa Claus through the keyhole.
I'll get to the cause
I will investigate the knocking to find out what is causing it.
One peek and I'll try there, oh oh, there's an eye there
I take a peek through the keyhole, and I see an eye looking back at me.
Please, please, pity my knees
I am so scared that my knees are shaking.
Say that's you, Santa Claus, that's him all right
I am relieved and excited to see that it is Santa Claus knocking at my door, as I suspected.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JACK FOX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bennickss
No auto tune. No editing. Just a talented, happy man with a unique voice enjoying himself.
Imani M
I love this! 😍 My brother introduced me to this wonderful song. Happy Holidays everyone! 🎄🎁
DrClawizdead
This is my kind of Christmas music!
phan tastic
thank you Louis. you're my santa claus of music~
rare butgreat
A brilliant christmas track , they dont make them like this anymore, pure class. Thanks for posting it
John Morales
I just heard this this morning.. on KINK 101.9.. I Love this Song.. Louis Armstong was one OF THE GREATEST JAZZ ARTISTS EVER!! May he be Jazzing around in Heaven!!!
Nicolas Martin
The greatest.
andreo
I love the original version of this song. In my opinion other singers do okay but they can't touch Louis or the vibe of the music in this version.
Kay Muldoon
andreo the first version I ever heard was from Buster Poindexter, but I like this version the best.
Elizabeth Hoffman
Brings back to my childhood. My parents listened to the classics and I love it